Antonio Pizzonia set a new lap record on the final day of testing for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team at Valencia yesterday, as Ralf Schumacher was sidelined by abdominal pains. Blue skies, sunshine and temperatures reaching 18°C, were the perfect mix as the BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers continued to set the pace at the Spanish track.
Unfortunately Ralf Schumacher was unable to take part in the programme, due to abdominal pains. The German, who was taken to Salzburg Hospital for a precautionary examination, was later given the all-clear. "The car felt great yesterday, as demonstrated by Juan Pablo's lap record, and I thoroughly enjoyed driving it,” said Ralf. “Today, set-up and tyre evaluations were on my schedule but, due to these abdominal pains, I could not take part.”
The team’s test driver Marc Gené completed a race distance simulation, completing 87 laps and posting a personal best time of 1:10.440.
Antonio Pizzonia focused on mechanical and aerodynamic set-ups, completing 63 laps without experiencing any problems. The Brazilian shaved 0.153 off the time posted by Juan Pablo Montoya on Wednesday to establish a new unofficial lap record for the Spanish track.
Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1): "We’ve had another progressive test this week in Valencia. Juan Pablo, Ralf and Marc have all concentrated on mechanical set-ups and aerodynamic work on the FW26 while Antonio once again impressed the team using the modified FW25."
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "It was the first real test in Valencia after the launch of the FW26 on January 5th here. From the engine perspective, we primarily concentrated on practise starts and traction control set-ups. This has been a productive test for us during which we’ve collated a considerable amount of valuable data.“
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team will continue the preparations for the 2004 season at Barcelona next Monday.
Times:
1. A. Pizzonia, BMW WilliamsF1 Team, 1:09.165, 23/632. M. Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:09.414, 20/863. M. Gené, BMW WilliamsF1 Team, 1:10.440, 74/874. J. Button, B.A.R. Honda, 1:10.466, 72/935. G. Fisichella, Sauber Petronas, 1:10.473, 24/726. C. Klien, Jaguar Cosworth, 1:11.243, 26/1027. C. da Matta, Toyota, 1:11.310, 88/918. A. Davidson, B.A.R. Honda, 1:11.716, 10/949. Z. Baumgartner, Minardi Cosworth, 1:13.306, 92/104
